Dua Lipa Elaborated On The ‘Step Up’ Reference In Her Speech At A Grammy Press Conference

Before her acceptance speech was cut off, Best New Artist Grammy winner Dua Lipa shouted out her fellow female nominees this year, commenting that “I guess this year we really stepped up.” Lipa was making a reference to Recording Academy president Neil Portnow’s argument that women in music needed to “step up” if they wanted to get recognized for their accomplishments.

It’s unfortunate that Lipa wasn’t given time to finish her speech, but Lipa continued the discussion she opened at Grammy press rooms after the ceremony was over.

“Being in the New Artist category and having so many female artists nominated is a big change. It’s a change we hope to see for many years to come,” Lipa said. “It’s a big difference from previous years. I feel so grateful to have been a part of the nominations when they came out and to see so many women honored. Like, this is amazing. It felt right to be able to do that because they were artists I love and admire and I’m so honored to be able to share that moment with them.”